The kitchen countertop is your major work space.
Food preparation is done here. It must be easy to clean and sanitize. You want it to be peaceful and colorful. You need to select your counter carefully and deliberately. You want to do it right the first time as it is a major upgrade and expense.
What kind of counter do you want to select for your kitchen. Do you want a natural or an engineered stone. A wood surface, tile, Solid Surface Acrylic or Laminate counter?
Natural stones like granite, limestone, and soapstone have a depth and beauty of a polished surface that is hard to match. They do require upkeep of cleaning, sealing and waxing as they are porous and will become discolored if not properly cared for by the user.
An engineered stone comes in many beautiful colors and blends of rock and uses quartz as a filler and a resin to bind it together. They are very durable to heat, scratching and discoloration. It is easy to clean them do not require waxing.
Solid Surface Acrylic such as Corian or LG Hi-Macs is a fabricated counter that comes in many different colors. It is durable and easy to clean, if the surface becomes discolored, it is easy to take a fine sand paper of 400 grit or higher and lightly sand out the stain. It can also be bonded together at the seams so that it looks and feels like one continuous counter. Even the sink can be built in with out any seams. It makes a lovely counter.
Wood counters such as teak, maple, cherry, walnut or mahogany have a gorgeous look and feel to them but they require upkeep and care to keep them looking good. They can be scratched, burned or stained, so you must be careful and take care of them.
Tile counters come in many different colors, and sizes. They are durable and easy to assemble. They can be cleaned easily, but you need to seal the grout between the tiles as it can become stained and is hard to clean. Tiles are easy to brake or chip, so they must be taken care of.
A concrete kitchen counter can be built in your kitchen in any shape you want. You build a form to hold the wet concrete until it dries. It is labor intensive and requires some knowledge and skill to make a quality counter. It is porous so it must be sealed and waxed to keep it from staining.
Laminates are durable such as Formica or Wilsonart and come in many styles and colors. They are stain resistant and easy to take care of and clean, but they can be burnt.
